Compute (-5) raised to the power of negative two.

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Multiple Choice

Compute (-5) raised to the power of negative two.

Explanation:
The main idea is that a negative exponent means you take the reciprocal of the base raised to the positive exponent, and an even exponent makes the base positive before you take that reciprocal. So (-5) raised to the negative two is 1 divided by (-5) squared. Squaring removes the negative sign: (-5)^2 = 25. Therefore the expression equals 1/25. The sign is positive because the exponent is even, so the reciprocal is a positive fraction. This matches the value 1/25.

The main idea is that a negative exponent means you take the reciprocal of the base raised to the positive exponent, and an even exponent makes the base positive before you take that reciprocal. So (-5) raised to the negative two is 1 divided by (-5) squared. Squaring removes the negative sign: (-5)^2 = 25. Therefore the expression equals 1/25. The sign is positive because the exponent is even, so the reciprocal is a positive fraction. This matches the value 1/25.

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